Containers are used to contain and dispense various products, including liquids, gels, and powders. Typically, a container includes an container closure with a spout having a dispensing nozzle sealed by a break-away nozzle tip. To prevent accidental discharge of product from the container during shipment, the nozzle tip is commonly joined to or molded into the nozzle such that the tip seals the nozzle until it is broken away at a break-away junction by a consumer when the product is to be dispensed.
However, a problem with a break-away nozzle tip is that it is prone to premature breakage if the container is accidentally dropped on the tip, or if the tip is otherwise subjected to an unintentional impact. The force of such impacts can be simulated in various ways, including by an industry-standard drop test. Another problem with a break-away nozzle tip is that, once broken away from the dispensing nozzle, it may leave the dispensing nozzle with a rough or jagged edge at the break-away junction. A rough or jagged nozzle edge can scratch or cut the skin of a user who is applying the product from the container directly to sensitive skin regions, such as the scalp.
An additional problem with a break-away nozzle tip is that the tip is usually designed so that the break-away junction, coincides with an orifice through which product will be dispensed, such that the orifice is created at the fractured junction. Such break-away tips are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0070999 A1, commonly assigned with the present application. As a result, it is difficult to control the size of the orifice because any deformation of the break-away junction also deforms the orifice, and thus it is difficult to accurately control the rate and amount of product that will be dispensed through the orifice.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a container closure having a break-away tip that is resistant to breakage when subjected to an accidental drop or other unintentional impact, but is still readily broken away by a consumer desiring to dispense the product from the container. Such a container closure would be capable of absorbing an impact without fracturing the break-away junction, but would allow a user to easily fracture the break-away junction by applying one or more of sideways force, twisting, and pulling.
It would be further advantageous to provide a container closure having a break-away tip that leaves the dispensing nozzle with a smooth, non-jagged outer edge that can be placed in direct contact with sensitive skin of a consumer without causing scratches or cuts to the skin.
It would be still further advantageous to provide a container closure having an orifice spaced apart from the break-away junction such that orifice remains intact and the size of the orifice remains fixed, regardless of any deformation that may occur at the fractured break-away junction.